Building a digital backbone for the V&A Waterfront

Summary

At the heart of the V&A Waterfront lies a last-mile fiber network that connects one of Africa’s most-visited mixed-use precincts. Designed and managed by NTT DATA, the network links historic buildings, modern shops and luxury hotels, keeping millions of visitors, tenants and events connected every day.

Connect a complex and growing precinct

With more than 24 million visitors a year, the V&A Waterfront is one of the most visited destinations in Africa. Spanning 123 hectares, it’s a mix of heritage buildings, modern offices, retail spaces, hotels, and entertainment venues — all layered over an old harbor. Operating at this scale demands reliable internet connections, but that’s challenging in an environment that combines historic tunnels and buildings with constantly changing shops, eateries and large-scale international events like round-the-world yacht race, The Ocean Race. This makes providing a consistent digital experience difficult.

Before 2013, the V&A relied on multiple carrier-owned fiber routes, analog telecom lines and scattered wireless networks, leaving them with limited control and poor redundancy. Frequent rolling blackouts (loadshedding) further undermined reliability.

The V&A needed infrastructure that would give it control over connectivity, allow tenants to choose their preferred internet service providers (ISPs), and all without exposed cables or unsightly towers. Above all, the network needed to support internet connection, tourism analytics and the broadcast of large-scale events.

A managed network that grows with the Waterfront

NTT DATA’s partnership with the V&A Waterfront began in 2013 through a joint venture to design and deploy a last-mile fiber network. The goal was to eliminate fragmented cabling and establish a “single trench” policy, keeping every tenant connected through one digital backbone. By 2019, the V&A took full ownership of the infrastructure, with NTT DATA as their managed service provider.

The network runs on a smart design that links key connection hubs across the precinct with 2 meet-me rooms, 27 node rooms and 47 network cabinets. These connection hubs create multiple backup routes, so reliable internet access is assured even if a fiber line is damaged. The design supports tenant connectivity and public wireless coverage, with over 140 access points, powered by Cisco technology, providing free, uncapped Wi-Fi across the precinct.

Installation often requires creative engineering — divers lay undersea cables and technicians work on rooftops. As the Waterfront develops and changes, our team regularly navigates heritage tunnels and busy shopping zones to make sure connectivity is in place.

The NTT DATA and V&A teams work side by side. With the network as the backbone, they use Cisco Spaces to track visitor flow, capture movement data and create personalized experiences. The data gathered supports marketing insights, operational planning and event management.

The managed service covers monitoring, performance management, ISP coordination and revenue collection, including a revenue-sharing model in which ISPs are billed for fiber connectivity and revenue is passed back to the V&A.

A living network for a vibrant precinct

The V&A Waterfront now has a fiber and wireless infrastructure that supports tenants, visitors and events with secure connectivity, even as the precinct continues to grow.

Connected community

More than 2 petabytes of data flow through the network monthly, supporting everything from restaurant Wi-Fi to live event streaming and real-time analytics. Visitors have access to free, uncapped Wi-Fi, and the V&A team uses data insights to understand visitor patterns so they can improve traffic flow to busy areas and know where to advertise events.

Sustainable revenue

Through the managed last-mile service, ISPs are billed for fiber access, and NTT DATA manages the process end-to-end. This allows the V&A to generate revenue from network connectivity while leveraging NTT DATA’s expertise.

Operational agility

The network’s design means no downtime, even during upgrades or loadshedding. A redundant design, supported by uninterruptible power supply (UPS) nodes, keeps critical systems running.

Future-ready infrastructure

With a flexible network and advanced analytics, the V&A is positioned to support upcoming developments — including a planned R24 billion expansion — and continue delivering world-class experiences.